Botox could be
used to help Shrink Cancer Tumors

February 15th,
2006

Botox

Botox may be used
as part of the treatment of Cancer in the near future. A research study
from the Université de Louvain in Brussels, Belgium, led by Bernard
Gallez, Ph.D., have been one of the first to explore how Botox could be
used to treat cancer patients.

First reported in
the February 15th issue of Clinical Cancer Research, the
results were hopeful. When the Botox (Botulinum neurotoxin type A) was
injected into two different kinds of tumors in mice, it caused the
tumors’ cellular vasculature to open. This improved circulation of the
tumor made it more effective at killing off the cancer cells when using
traditional chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

These are
preliminary studies in mice and more research will need to be
conducted. The researchers hope that it will be used together with
chemotherapy to make the treatment more effective and killing of the
cancer.

Having an opening
in the blood vessels that feed the tumor is not the focus on most
research. This is a unique approach in better delivering the
chemotherapy and radiation to a tumor. A lot of research focus on
exactly the opposite, how to cut off the circulation by reducing the
blood vessel growth and causing the tumors to starve and not thrive.

"Tumor vasculature
is targeted by several advanced anti-cancer approaches that may appear
contradictory," said Gallez. "Anti-angiogenesis and anti-vascular
targeting are methods aimed at destroying the vessels that feed tumors,
thereby depriving them of oxygen and nutrients. In contrast,
pro-vascular approaches increase tumor perfusion and oxygenation
temporarily."

There has been a
phenomenon lately with a patient’s tumor cells becoming increasingly
resistant to chemotherapy. To compensate for the resistance the dosage
of chemotherapy and radiation increased. There is also an increased
demand for developing new drugs that will be more effective because of
the resistance.

Botox has two
other treatments, one as a muscle relaxant, and the other for cosmetic
procedures for wrinkles. Botox is a Botulinum toxin and is a molecule
that is found in nature. The Botox causes the muscles to be paralyzed
and will relax the tissue around it. People with facial spasms and
strabismus (an eye muscle disease) were some of the first to be treated
with Botox. It was noticed that the wrinkles disappeared around the
treated areas and Botox soon became a well known cosmetic procedure.

The researchers
believe that the Botulinum toxin helps to relax the neuromuscular
contractions in the vessels of the tumor. By opening up the vessels, it
allows the chemotherapy to be delivered to the tumor more effectively.

The two types of
tumors in this study were fibrosarcoma and liver tumor in the mice.
Once the tumor grew to around 6 millimeters the scientists injected
Botox into the tumor. For the next 3 days the scientists watched for
changes in the vessels of the tumor and watched how the tumor responded
to anti-cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. They
measured the cellular oxygen pressure and there was a significant
increase when the Botox was injected. They also used magnetic resonance
imaging results (MRI) to measure the perfusion which was also greatly
improved with the mice three days after the Botox treatment. The
scientists used a combination of Botox and chemotherapeutic agent
cyclophosphamide and found that after 3 days the tumors growth was
considerably stunted.

The researchers
hope to be able to use the Botox in trials soon. They anticipate that
it could happen soon as Botox has already been shown to not have serious
toxicity in humans. The trials will determine if Botox will be a better
treatment of cancer in the future.